Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-12-31
Stimgy With Their Wives.

TO4u the OucaSO news.
Are most men stingy with their wives? Are the
majority so selfish that they don't allow them a
reasonable amount Of money for miscellaneous ex.
pendtures?
There's no doubt q 1t.
Averagely, it's an unthinking stinginess and an
unconscious SelfiShness Neither Is the average
man altogether to blame for It,
His wife is more TO blame than he. She hasn't
trained him to recognize her financial rights. she
has never adopted an aLtitu lie that compelled him
to recognize them.
Al The best, man is a creature concentrated a
great deal upon himself. He is apt TO see his own
wants In way that magntteS them, ami his
wiIes, when he sees them at all, in light OF WON
derfui reducing powers. He is apt TO think they
don't count for much, anyway, and might as well
not exist at all. woman led, housed with new
clothing each separate seaSOn-whaU more can
she need? This Is the argument OF the man who
controls the family purse strings by virtue OF being
the family worker, whose labor is paid for Ia
money.
His wife assists him to get settled on the plane
or reasoning Thousands OF men would be indl e
nantly aStoniShed II accused OF meannesS toward
the women they have taken to their bosons Yet
they are mean, penuriouS pinchng with them
every day. They would regard small sacrifices,
that women make constantly for them an impo,.
sbility In order that they might divide more
evenly the margin OF income left over from regular
expenses for the "inciden, alS' that are part and
parcel OF every mans existence.
Many woman, as she reads these words
Will recall the time often and again when she has
indulgence In some small pleaSure-the purchase
OF some dainty tritie-becauSe or the petty allow
ance dOled out to her. The mean man the selfish
man, the Indifferent man. Is not always mean sci.
nSh, or Indifferent because his wife has made him
so. He Is often so because she has allowed him
to be.
II think should be pleased with this magazine. ~
said a lady day or two since TO an agent taxing
subscriptions for a 25 cent periodical CT don't
like to order It, though without first consulting INV
husband" This husband was well-to-dO and lib
eral In providing for his family; the lady Inteili
gent and educated. She had no expectation that
he would deny her the 25 cents a month to
pay for the publication. She merely yielded to
her habit OF depending upon his judgment instead
OF using her own; She was only one OF the mighty
cost OF women who task my husband" about every
detail OF purchase. Doubtless she told nim about
1t when he came home, and thus strengthened his
conviction that she required money oniy when she
asked directly for 1t and for q specified object
Within the ordinary round OF household duties
there are few women who are not neceSsitated to
do deal OF independent thinking and OF acting
the husband and father selects each roast and
every slice OF steak; where he personally superin-
tends the purchase OF each pound OF butter and
decides whether the bahys cloak shall be OF flannel
or cashmere. But this Is the exceptional house.
hold. The average woman takes charge OF all the
housekeeping details and expenditures, generally
displaying far better sense In doing so than her
the prescribed domain OF buying for the table she
halters her reasoning faculties and turns around
for the masculine head OF the family 10 lead her.
The minds OF women are quite as capable In all
the requirements OF ordinary life as those of men
But the average woman doesn't begin to use her
mind nor apply It to the needs OF her life until
long after the period when It should have been in
a